Chapter 7: A Laugh That Doesn't Reach the Eyes
The door creaked open.
Darkness greeted him first.
Not the heavy kind from yesterday—the kind that felt like it was hiding something—but a quieter, more ordinary darkness. The kind you get when someone forgets to turn on the lights.
Ryugenn stepped inside slowly.
"Shin?"
A faint glow flickered from deeper inside the house.
Blue light.
Rhythmic.
Like a screen.
He followed it.
Each step measured.
Careful.
Then—
He saw him.
Shin lay sprawled across the bed in the corner of the room, one arm behind his head, the other holding his phone up lazily. The screen reflected in his glasses—fast-moving colors, exaggerated expressions, the unmistakable chaos of anime.
There were snack wrappers near the pillow. A half-empty bottle of water on the floor. The curtains were half drawn, letting in a thin line of evening light.
It looked…
Normal.
Too normal.
Ryugenn stood there for a second.
"…Shin."
Shin blinked, then turned his head.
For a brief moment, surprise crossed his face.
Then—
"Hey, Ryugenn?"
His tone lifted instantly.
"You're here? How did you even find my house?"
Ryugenn didn't answer that immediately.
Instead, he stepped closer to the bed.
"You didn't come to college today."
His voice was calm.
Direct.
Shin scratched the back of his head, sitting up slightly.
"Ah… yeah. I wasn't feeling great this morning," he said. "Thought I'd just rest a bit."
He stretched his arms lazily.
"Still kinda tired, but way better now."
Ryugenn watched him carefully.
No fever.
No real weakness.
Just…
Casual.
Too casual.
Without saying anything else, Ryugenn reached into his pocket.
He pulled out the folded paper.
Held it out.
"Then tell me something."
Shin tilted his head slightly.
"What?"
Ryugenn unfolded the note.
The same words.
The same weight.
"What is this?"
For a second, Shin just looked at it.
Then—
"Paper."
Ryugenn's expression didn't change.
"…Don't joke."
His voice dropped slightly.
"Tell me what this is."
A pause.
Then—
Shin started laughing.
Not a small chuckle.
Not a light reaction.
A full, loud laugh.
The kind that filled the room.
Ryugenn's brows narrowed slightly.
Confusion flickered across his face.
"…What?"
Shin wiped the corner of his eye dramatically.
"Bro—seriously?"
He shook his head, still laughing.
"I didn't think you'd take it this seriously."
Ryugenn's grip on the paper tightened slightly.
"Will you tell me or not?"
Shin leaned back against the bed, still smiling.
"Relax," he said. "It was just a prank."
Silence.
"A prank?" Ryugenn repeated.
"Yeah," Shin said, shrugging. "I just wanted to see how you'd react."
He pointed lightly at the paper.
"But man… you're reacting like everything written there actually happened to you."
A grin spread across his face.
"Cool, bro."
Ryugenn didn't respond immediately.
Inside—
Something loosened.
Just slightly.
A prank.
That meant—
No one knew.
No one had been watching him.
No one had dug into his past.
The tension that had been sitting quietly in his chest since yesterday eased.
Just a little.
"…I see."
His voice was neutral again.
Controlled.
Shin tilted his head, still smirking.
"But hey," he added casually, "it's not like you actually left your house forever or something, right?"
A small pause.
Then he waved his hand.
"I'm just kidding."
Ryugenn's eyes stayed on him for a second longer.
Then he looked away.
"…Yeah."
Just one word.
Nothing more.
Shin stretched again, completely relaxed now.
"Anyway," he said, "since you're here, let's go out for a bit."
Ryugenn glanced at him.
"You said you were sick."
Shin waved it off.
"That was in the morning. I'm fine now."
He hopped off the bed, grabbing his hoodie.
"Come on, a short walk. Fresh air, you know?"
Ryugenn shook his head slightly.
"No."
Shin paused.
"I have some work."
A small pause.
"We'll go some other time."
Shin stared at him for a second.
Then shrugged.
"Alright, alright. Workaholic."
He dropped back onto the bed.
"Next time, then."
"Yeah."
Ryugenn turned and walked toward the door.
"Take care," Shin called out casually.
Ryugenn didn't reply.
He just stepped out.
The evening air felt cooler now.
The sky was fading—blue dissolving into soft shades of orange and violet.
Ryugenn walked slowly.
Hands in his pockets.
Mind quiet.
Or at least—
Quieter than before.
A prank.
That's all it was.
Simple.
Meaningless.
He should have felt relieved.
And yet—
"…Something feels off."
He stopped for a brief second.
Then shook his head.
"Overthinking."
That was all.
It had to be.
The streets grew more familiar as he moved closer to Sakura Heights.
The quiet hum of the city returned.
Distant conversations.
Footsteps.
The occasional passing car.
Then—
He noticed someone ahead.
A familiar figure.
Silver hair catching the fading light.
Naomi.
She was walking in the same direction.
Toward the same area.
Toward—
His dorm.
Ryugenn's steps slowed slightly.
Not enough to be obvious.
Just enough to create distance.
His gaze shifted to the side, pretending to look at something else.
A shop window.
A passing sign.
Anything but her.
Don't make it obvious.
He continued walking.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Like she wasn't even there.
Like he hadn't noticed.
Then—
Naomi stopped.
Abruptly.
Ryugenn's eyes flicked forward for a split second.
Then immediately away.
Did she notice?
He kept walking.
Or at least—
Tried to.
Because in the next moment—
He felt it.
That quiet shift in attention.
Like someone turning toward you.
Then—
Her voice.
Clear.
Soft.
Calling him.
"Ryugenn."
His steps stopped.
Just like that.
Without thinking.
For a brief moment, the world felt still again.
The fading sky.
The quiet street.
The distance between them.
Ryugenn turned.
Slowly.
(End of Chapter 7)